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Riley 1.5
The Riley 1.5 (also produced as the Wolseley 1500) was a British Touring Car Championship car, used between 1958 and 1963. Although the car was based on the Morris Minor, the engine was of a large capacity, meaning that the One-Point-Five often raced in Class B.http://classiccars.wikia.com/wiki/Riley_One-Point-Five BTCC History The Riley One-Point-Five was debuted at the second round of the 1958 British Saloon Car Championship season at Brands Hatch, where Harold Grace scored an impressive second in class. This was followed by the car's first victory a round later, as Les Leston took another One-Point-Five to victory at Mallory Park. He followed this with a further pair of victories at the final two rounds of the season, while Alan Foster wrapped up his Class B title by driving a One-Point-Five at the penultimate round. Title Duel 1958 also saw Jack Sears and Tommy Sopwith finish level on points, requiring a tie-break to achieve this. Marcus Chambers prepared two Riley One-Point-Fives (as BMC was providing the "Bonneville Trophy" for the championship) for each of the drivers, and it was decided that Sopwith would use the fastest of the two cars first. After the first five lap race, Sopwith led Sears by 2.2 seconds, as the rain poured down at Brands Hatch. However, Sears then beat Sopwith by four seconds in the second race, taking the duel and the title by 1.6 seconds, becoming the first BSCC champion. Class Leader In 1959, Leston demonstrated the ability of the Riley One-Point-Five by taking the Class B championship that season. Four class wins and a third place were enough for Leston to take the Class B title, frequently battling with the cars of Class C and A. Peter Pilsworth also took a victory that year, driving for R. W. Thompson. Despite the changes made to the regulations for the 1960 season, the Riley still proved to be competitive, with Alan Hutcheson taking a further two wins in the car. He followed this with a strong showing in 1961, challenging for the overall title. Three class wins and four podiums saw Hutcheson claim the One-Point-Five's second class championship in three years, as well as third in the overall standings. Decline 1962 looked to have begun as another season in which the One-Point-Five would be a class leader, with Hutcheson winning in the first three class races of the year. However, two retirements, and the rejuvenation of the Sunbeams ended the One-Point-Five driver's hopes of another Class championship. For 1963, Hutcheson was the only entrant in Class B to use a One-Point-Five, in a year that was dominated by the Ford Cortina GTs. A best finish of second that year resulted, and the One-Point-Five bowed out from the BSCC at the end of the year, having taken sixteen wins in 76 races. Development The origin of the car's development and design may be entered here. Honours In six years of racing, the Riley One-Point-Five was entered a total of seventy six times, with sixteen class victories resulting from it. Below is list of the One-Point-Fives honours from it's years of competition: *1959 - Class B Championship (Les Leston). *1961 - Class B Championship (Alan Hutcheson). Alan Foster also used a Riley One-Point-Five in his Class B championship year in 1958, but had used an MG Magnette for the majority of the season. Full BTCC Record * Indicates that the driver used a different car prior to using a Riley One-Point-Five. References Category:Cars Category:BMC